The Perfect Christmas Present
by Beatrice Benedick
Summary: One shot. Set a few years into the future: Betty had such awful year that she didn't expect much of an improvement as she headed back home for a Christmas gathering. GxB


**The Perfect Christmas Present**

**I just had to write something for the holidays... I hate to be out.

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Betty opened her living room window in order to breathe in the evening air. But all she got was the heavy stench of the smog of the heavy traffic and a frozen nose. She jumped back inside, not that it was any better: her heater, that seemed to had been built at least two centuries ago, had stopped working and nobody seemed to be able to repair it. She got inside and tried to close the heavy window while keeping the mobile in place.

She looked at her fingers: all black. Honestly, she thought, the air of downtown Manhattan could be so dirty. She walked a few steps across the room to the kitchen, careful not to meet the big bathtub she had placed right in the middle of the living room. She turned on the faucet and nothing but a weird sound came out of it.

"Damn it!" She couldn't believe there wasn't water on the pipes again. She had just taken a shower!

"What happened?!"

She jumped. It wasn't until then that she realized she hadn't been really listening to the person on the other side of the line. "No no… it's not you. It's … you know what? Never mind. You were saying?"

She cleaned her fingers with a towel. She had been looking for new apartment for months and she couldn't find any decent deal in Manhattan. She hated that apartment but it was all she got for now, she wasn't going to return back to queens and not after she had left her father's house more than two year ago.

"I was saying I heard you graduated from some fancy program in Manhattan just recently".

She picked her purse, a couple of bags and closed the door… the door stubbornly opened again without taking the lock, she tried two times until it finally locked. "I did. I did! A young editor's program that will help me greatly in my career."

She looked outside to the place where she usually left her umbrella. It was taken. She gave a glance to the door across the hall and sighed.

"I am happy for you, honest. Are you going back home to Queens for Christmas?"

"Of course. You know how delicious are _Papi_'s Christmas dinners… a total extravaganza."

She walked out of the building and the minute her feet touched the floor she slipped all her way to the little front door of the garden.

"Woah!" She said as she hit the door. Definitely not her best day. She crawled to pick her cellphone, her purse and the bags with Christmas presents. "Hello! Hello! Are you still there?"

"Betty, what happened? Are you okay?"

"Ah! Nothing. I'm fine. I'm fine"

"You should be more careful".

She picked herself up and looked at a guy looking nonchalantly at her peeking through the front door. "I forgot to throw salt this morning!" he yelled to her like that was going to be any helpful.

"Thank you!" She yelled back.

"Why are you…"

"No, it wasn't to you. It was to another person. A very irresponsible and mean person!" she yelled loudly to make sure the Super would hear her. But he just closed the door behind him and returned to his chores.

"Oh well. I am glad your weather is a bit better than here. It's just freezing outside in New York".

She walked to the metro station.

"Any wishes for Santa to bring you this year?"

"Me? You know me: nothing fancy. I've been so busy this year and so many complicated things happening at once. I don't really know what to wish for Christmas. I guess I just want happiness or peace or love or world peace, I guess…"

She walked down the stairs and heard the typical metallic sound was heard in the distance.

"Oh, gotta go, now! Train is coming. Thanks for checking on me… and Merry Christmas to you too!"

She jumped to the almost closing doors right on time and found an empty seat.

Betty heard her mobile sounding again. She quickly put on her headsets and plugged it into her mobile.

"Hello".

"Betty, are you coming early?" The familiar voice of her big sister resounded clearly in her ears.

"Yes, I'm on my way. By the way, Hilda, you wouldn't know who I did talk to just now: Walter! He is doing just great in Maryland"

"Sounds nice. It's good to know that you still talk. I never talk with my exes".

"Well, I don't mind talking to them. We are all friends. There's no reason to keep old grudges about the past".

Hilda felt some sort of relieved on the other side of the line.

"Oh! I'm so glad. I wouldn't like to ruin your Christmas or anything".

"What do you mean? What can ruin my… are you planning something for me?"

From the other side of the line Justin was heard shouting: "Don't tell her. It's a surprise!!"

"Of course I won't tell her!" Hilda told him and then spoke to Betty. "I'm not telling".

"Ah! Come on" she said smiling like an idiot in the E train full of people returning from work on their way to their homes on Christmas eve. "Give me a clue. You know how much I love Christmas presents".

"Oh don't be so nosy. Just come here as soon as you can. We need you. We're still discussing about how to decorate the tree. Justin is going crazy this year wanting to wrap the whole thing in ribbons and stuff".

"Ah! Come on! give me something" she said giving her seat to some old lady in the train and grabbing a post near her, "anything".

"Oh! okay", Hilda stopped for a moment and then said, "If you want to know. It has something to deal with an old flame. By the way," she quickly added, "are you coming with someone?"

"With who?! Stop mocking me, Hilda. You know I'm single now".

"That's better. But with you, one is never sure. How many guys you've had in two years? five? six?".

"Okay, that was a low punch, totally undeserving. And for the record, Jesse doesn't count, that was just a kiss. And you know that I'm over with that crazy life. I'm back to my old proper self these days".

Hilda laughed in a conciliate manner through the other side of the line "Whatever. Just make sure to bring your 'old proper self' home as soon as possible. Justin and Papi are driving me crazy".

Betty closed her mobile and stared into the window where the white city of New York was moving as her life was. A crazy life. For her own standards, she had to admit: She had got a lot of fun as a single woman in Manhattan, but she had enough. That life wasn't suitable for her. She wasn't Amanda, her party-going colleague from work who enjoyed flirting with anything that moved. She got lured by the easy ways of a carefree single life and learned the amusements of "light love". But now that she was finally ready to settle down with someone, nobody she knew wanted to settle down with her.

But, she couldn't complain, she also had her dose of real romance. She had Walter, her first boyfriend from high school. It had been fun for a first experience, like the first snow of the year: so full of expectation and wonder. And she also had fond memories of Henry, her first real love, a love as white and gentle and pure as the faint snow that was falling outside the window of the car of the moving train. And her heart warmed as she thought of them.

But there had been another love, born suddenly out of the calm of friendship when she least expected, like a blizzard, so fast and so passionate and so strong that she had been scared to go outside and play with it; the kind of love that only happened once in a lifetime and came and went so quickly that she hadn't got the time to build up the courage to discover the promising new wonders that she refused to see right in front of her.

Even thought her heart pained a little as she remembered about that lover, about that friend; she also rejoiced by the fresh reminiscence of old times because ever since her mother died, life had never been happier and easier than those turbulent days where he had been so selflessly an oasis for her right without asking much in exchange. But she refused to love him back. She had been scared of loving too much and she fled away.

If it had been her own Christmas Tale and she could have been visited by the ghost of the past she would have wished to return back those happy days at least for a moment. She had admitted she had hurt him so badly that she couldn't dare to mention his name in front of her family.

"Gio!"

She almost jumped as she woke from her thoughts.

"Gio!" The woman repeated grabbing the little boy by his hands. "¿_Cuántas veces te he dicho que no te me sueltes_!"

"_Si, mami_" he answered noticing that lady that was looking at him. Betty smiled at him.

Don't let go. She thought to herself. If only…

The train made another stop: her station. She stepped out in the same old place in Queens, the same old people… her neighborhood. A group of college students were singing right bellow the metallic stairs of the station raising money for some rebuilding to their school.

She dropped a few coins inside their box.

"Merry Christmas. Thank you!"

"Merry Christmas to you, too" she said as she remembered old days when she had done the same right bellow those same steps. It was her old neighborhood, where she had lived most of her life. She filled her lungs with airs of nostalgia.

A song sounded from the speakers of one of the shops:

_Last Christmas I gave you my heart  
But the very next day you gave it away  
This year, to save me from tears  
I'll give it to someone special_

Someone especial… She didn't know how she managed but she was always alone for the holidays. She stopped in front of the store and searched inside her purse for her phone and quickly dialed a number.

"Papi. It's me, Betty. _La bendición, Papi_… Thank you. I just wanted to tell you I'm passing through Joe's grocery Store and wondered if you wanted something".

"No, we don't need anything, _mija_. Thank you. Just come here. I have prepared the most delicious tamales just for you. I'm sure it will cheer you up".

"Who says I need to be cheered up?"

"Now give me a second. Let me check something on the oven. Justin, come get the phone."

Justin came and picked it not without first carefully giving some instructions to someone across the communication line. "…just make sure it's big enough to cover the whole thing. Aunt Betty, hi! Are you on your way already?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Is that about my surprise gift?" she tried to get a hint from her nephew.

"Maybe. Maybe not. It's a surprise" He paused for a second "You know, aunt Betty. We've seen how you've been so sad with all your problems with your love life and work and everything… I'm not sure you will like it we all agree this is the best choice for you."

She got a bit warmed inside by hearing him speak like that. "You've all been trying to cheer me up? Aw, thank you, Justin that is so nice. You didn't have to spend so much time and effort on my gift. " She heard some struggling noise on the line.

"Time?" Hilda took the phone from her son "We spent weeks talking this over. We had to convince Papi about it. You know, we didn't want to upset him or anything due to his heart condition. But after a while he said he was okay and agreed and he said he only wanted you to be happy and if this could make you happy then he was all for it. Just between you and me… you should give it a chance. Opportunities like these only happen once in a lifetime".

"So you are not going to give me a clue about my gift?" She said taking the keys out of her purse.

"Oh! no, no… you will see it immediately you enter the house."

"Really?" she said with a huge smile opening the main door of the house.

"Justin, is this big enough or… Betty!" she heard a voice from a person surging from the door of the back of the room.

Her cell phone and the bags dropped from her hands to the floor as her eyes shot open at the contemplation of what was in front of her: her gift, topped with a huge red ribbon with golden inserts, light blue jeans and a brown button down shirt wrapping his body as tight as did the jeans. She wasn't expecting such surprise and she surely wasn't prepared for her own reaction to it.

"Oh!" She took a vacillating step, just like a child in front of a Christmas tree full of presents "Oh! This is exactly what I wanted… I couldn't have got a better Christmas present!"

She jumped and hugged the person in front of her. Closing her eyes, feeling herself breathe freely for the first time in a very long time, noticing her eyes fill with tears of joy and so nervous, she couldn't stop talking and laughing.

"Oh Gio! Gio! You are back! Oh God! I never expected this. I'm so happy. And so sorry and so happy!! Oh! I don't know what to say. I missed you so much!"

Pleasant memories and a wind of calm filled her heart that threatened to jump out of her chest.

Gio, was still carrying the ridiculously huge red and golden ribbon in his right hand so he had to use his left arm to secure her to avoid them both falling to the floor. She was laughing and jumping and squealing, in his strong embrace, like a seven year old girl in front of her new Barbie… or more like her handsome Ken doll.

"Oh my God! When they were telling me about the surprise, I couldn't ever imagine it. You are here! Oh! Gio… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry… How I missed you! This is the perfect Christmas present! I'm the happiest girl in the world!"

"I seem to have that effect on women" he chuckled to her ears as she was still squeezing him hard and throwing all her weight at him forcing him to try the best he could to keep the balance.

"He! You haven't changed a bit…" she said in a sober tone stopping for a second, but then happiness overcame her yet again, so excited that she didn't know what she was speaking anymore: "You know what? I don't care. I'm so happy that you are back! This is incredible! Two years! Oh, I thought I've lost you. But you are back! You came to me" She pulled out of their embrace: "But you're not married, right? No, no ring. And you didn't bring a girlfriend, did you? We have so much to talk about. You don't know how hard this has been without you. But I don't care anymore. You came back to me and it's all that matters" She gave him a sound wet kiss in the cheek.

He looked visibly surprised and amused at her behavior.

"Betty you're here already! I was wondering if something happened to you. The call dropped off" Hilda said coming into the room followed by Ignacio and Justin.

"Oh yes, I'm home! Thank you. Thank you for the surprise!" She said hugging Ignacio and then Hilda.

"Oh! I am glad you liked it. Honestly I was a bit scared you wouldn't feel comfortable. You know. I know how attached you were to the other one".

"Oh! you know, that's ancient history. Pff!" She said waving her hand in the air. "I was totally lost. I don't know what I was thinking" she said giving a two second thought about her former lover who worked in her own field as a magazine editor and was so much alike and too similar in his goals that they ended up competing with each other and killing their love faster than a meat burrito in her hands.

"I know you're ending up with something smaller, a bit too small compared to the old one, maybe… but in better shape and condition and definitely more stylish"

"Hilda! What are you saying?!" she said looking at Gio and then to her sister. Yes, she thought, he was a bit shorter than the average boyfriend but she had always known size didn't matter, especially with Gio.

"Well, I'm being honest. You've been trying so hard to settle for crap but you deserve better. You know, I worked all day yesterday to create the look you see there and I must say I'm proud of myself".

She looked again into Gio's direction. She did like Gio's new haircut. How he had it carefully combed and cleanly trimmed in long controlled silky strands. She suddenly noticed, was he growing a goatee? Something about that facial hair really was turning her…

"Mija," Ignacio walked to her and woke her from the ecstasy of her contemplation. "Let me tell you I approve of it. I know I had my reserves two years ago. But I believe that if that's what you want and it makes you really happy: then I'm a hundred percent on your side. You have all my blessing". He said kissing her on the forehead.

"Dad!" she said embarrassed. Not that Gio came there to propose to marry her, was he? She wondered.

"I can't wait for you to move in. Nights will certainly be much better than sleeping in that dirty and creepy apartment of yours" Hilda said with a huge grin in her face.

Betty gave a meaningful stare to her sister and tried to lower her voice. "Shh… Hilda! How can you speak like that in front of him? We haven't even talked about it yet".

"What are you talking about? Gio doesn't care. And you don't need so much talking these days: just a lawyer, a contract, some deposit money and Boom! You are in, baby!"

Betty was scandalized and switched glances between her sister and Gio who seemed amused to death containing a laugh. He caught one of her glances and laughed at her:

"I'm in. I don't mind" he said giving her a wink and a sexy smile. She gave him a quick disapproving stare in return and quickly turned to face her family.

"Oh! okay, okay, familia. Slow down. I know you mean the best for me and this is the best surprise I could ever get. Honest. But as much as it looks like it, I'm not that desperate. No need to hurry".

"What? I knew it!" Ignacio complained "You don't like the apartment. I knew it wasn't such a good idea".

"But, I don't even know where Gio lives!"

"Gio? What are you talking about?" Hilda looked at Gio.

"I have no idea myself" he quickly said and stepped aside to reveal, just attached to the wall behind him, a big carefully crafted cardboard, full of stamped printed pictures, on top of which could be read written in shinning glitter: "Betty's New Home".

"Oh!" Betty suddenly realized. "That apartment!"

"Of course. What else you think it was? But I hope you're not mad at Gio, or anything" Hilda kept on saying. "Because it was a great coincidence that we found him looking for an apartment in one of the many agent office in Flushing, you know Magaly's the one who's sister has the kinky hair and that tight huge ass that is so not even close to this one…".

"Hilda!" scolded Ignacio while Betty was still trying to organize her ideas looking at the large collection of pictures of an empty apartment stamped all over the colorful cardboard and the many congratulations and greeting messages drawn everywhere.

"What I'm trying to say," continued Hilda. "I remember you liked this one among all the others we were looking for. It was in a nice place, less noisy and cleaner. You know, it was thanks to Gio we got a great deal with that cheap old witch Magaly and we only had to pay a little portion of the deposit in advance to reserve it and we even got time to clean it and paint it a little bit. And since Gio was so kind we decided to invite him for dinner. Are you okay with that?"

What Betty didn't dare was to look Gio's way. It was only then that she realized he was only there because he helped her family to get her a new place in Manhattan.

"Oh! I don't know what to say. I… I…" She mumbled staring at each and every one of the members of her family in turn and feeling her face turn pale in embarrassment.

Justin said. "Oh, Aunt Betty. Are you happy about it or not? We can always take back the offer. It's a relief Gio got the paint for free".

"No. No. I love it. I do. Oh you all did so much. Really guys. I'll repay you all back as soon as I cancel my old rent and sign the papers. I love the surprise. This is huge. I'm really happy. Really".

"Honestly, Betty. Sometimes you are just so confusing" Hilda said giving her a quick peck in the cheek.

"Aunt Betty, I'm happy you liked the surprise. Now, could you please come in and help us with the decoration? There's just so much to do and so little time" Justin said frustrated taking the huge ribbon from Gio's hands and walking inside the house followed by his grandfather and his mother.

"Are you aware this is a tree and not a present?" Ignacio voice was heard from inside the room.

Betty was left with Gio who was still chuckling and couldn't foresee the punch he was about to receive in one of his strong built arms.

"What?!"

"Oh! Gio" She protested "You knew it and still you didn't tell me".

"And miss all the fun? Never!" He kept on laughing.

She looked at him from the corner of her eyes through her glasses. She was still a bit embarrassed for making the ridicule in front of him and her family.

"For what is worth" he then stopped laughing and said, holding her hand and addressing a sincere smile to her, "I'm really glad you did what you did".

She felt her body react to his touch and she wondered how much of all that had been magic. She'd wanted so much to see him once again. He just never expected him to come back to her like that, so unexpected that she couldn't help her foolish heart open up to the hope of the future that came and hit her like a cold Christmas breeze the moment she opened that door. She had been honest: it had been the best gift he could have gotten that year.

She blushed and squeezed his hand tighter. The Christmas morning hadn't even come and she had already unwrapped her presents: she had wanted a nice decent place to live but, more than that, she had long desired for a nice heart to love and be loved. Gio and her, together again like nothing had come between them, like time hadn't passed at all. That was a Christmas miracle. She replied him back with a wide smile:

"You know what? Me too".

And they joined the rest of the family in the living room who where still battling about how to place the ribbon on top of the tree while the snow started falling outside the window of the little house in Queens.

THE END

**Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!**

**¡Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo!  
**

-0-

English translation:

_"Cuántas veces te he dicho que no te me sueltes" = _How many times have I told you not to let go.

Familia = Family

"_La bendición_" = an expression to ask for blessing to the elders.

Mami = fam. Mommy

Mija = fam. Daughter

Papi = fam. Daddy

Si = yes


End file.
